Auctioneer Still Gaveling Despite Pile Of Complaints

Sherwin's son, Louis, said seven independent appraisals later found the ring to be the sapphire that was promised to the man. In a separate civil case, Irwin Sherwin successfully sued the customer for the return of a necklace Sherwin claimed was never fully paid for. Irwin Sherwin said he pleaded no contest to the grand theft charge on the advice of his attorney.

-- Sherwin has been sued at least two dozen times since 1986, including several lawsuits stemming from a jewelry heist at his Deerfield Beach location in 1985, in which police said $3 million to $5 million worth of gems was stolen. No one was arrested in that case.

-- In October 1993, North Carolina regulators threatened to pull Sherwin's auctioneering license on allegations of unprofessional conduct, including bid rigging, misrepresentation of merchandise, bounced checks and other violations. They later cited Sherwin's March 1994 conviction for sales tax embezzlement in North Carolina. In a December settlement, Sherwin agreed to the permanent license revocation but admitted no wrongdoing.

Louis Sherwin, 40, of Boca Raton, permanently surrendered his North Carolina license in a similar settlement in December in which he admitted no wrongdoing.

-- In April, a Broward County circuit judge ordered Sherwin and Beggs to pay the $1.2 million judgment in the Louis Carusillo case. Sherwin said he plans to appeal his portion of the judgment, $473,000.

Palm Beach County property records show Sherwin and his wife, Marcia, own a 4,821-square-foot, $758,616 home in the Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club in Boca Raton. They also own a $91,900 condo across the street at 1901 S. Ocean Blvd.

They drive a 1990 Rolls-Royce, a 1995 Mercedes-Benz and a red 1990 Jaguar XJS sports car, according to state vehicle registration records.

Florida regulators did go after Sherwin before, in October 1987, when they refused to grant him a license because of the first grand theft charge. But Sherwin got his license in 1988, after agreeing to put up $10,000 in a "good-faith deposit," according to Russell Weir, former chairman of the Florida Board of Auctioneers.

Sherwin says that Florida regulators "are on a witchhunt" to destroy his business and that North Carolina officials are biased against Floridians.

"The state of North Carolina does not want any Florida auctioneers operating in their state," he said.

"I am fed up," said his son, Louis. "We are reputable, we stand behind our product. ... I'll put our record up against any other auction business or jewelry business in the state of Florida for satisfied customers."

W. Wayne Woodard, executive director of the North Carolina Auctioneer Licensing Board, still has a thick file of complaints against Blowing Rock Auction Galleries, including 13 allegations listed in the state's probable cause statement, which never got a hearing but led to the settlement.